Clowe, who saw a concussion specialist in Boston on Monday, said he doesn't expect to play in the Devils' preseason opener Monday at the New York Rangers.

New Jersey plays six preseason games before opening the regular season Oct. 9 at the Philadelphia Flyers.

Clowe, who turns 32 on Sept. 30, has a history of concussions. He had seven goals and 26 points in 43 games last season, his first with the Devils after signing a five-year, $24.25 million contract in the summer of 2013. He missed more than two months early in the season with a concussion and didn't play after a March 31 game against the Florida Panthers when he sustained another concussion.

Bennett, the No. 4 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, missed the third period with a sore groin. Gaudreau, the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner, was injured on a hard hit from Vancouver defenseman Frank Corrado, who received a five-minute elbowing penalty and a game misconduct on the play.

"They were a little worried about me, but I told them it's no big deal," Bennett said, according to the Calgary Herald. "My groin was acting up a little bit. But it really wasn't anything serious. Obviously, I wanted to get back out there. I was ready to go."

Aaron Ekblad had a summer, but it wasn't much of an offseason for him. The first pick of the 2014 NHL Draft had a development camp with the Florida Panthers, a Hockey Canada national junior evaluation camp, and he's currently with other Panthers prospects at a rookie tournament hosted by the Nashville Predators.

However, Ekblad told the Panthers website the end goal is what he's focused on, and that's playing in the NHL this season.

"I have my own expectations of myself," Ekblad said. "I have goals that I set for myself that I keep to myself. I hold myself accountable for those goals. My expectations are high. I have high standards for myself. It's going to help me put myself in a good position this year."

"I wasn't ready," Pulkkinen told the Red Wings website. "I was in good shape but … it's a different game in Europe than it is here. I wasn't ready for the American game. There's more rink, the speed is higher. But now I think I'm going to be ready."

Derek Laxdal saw enough of Julius Honka when they were in the Western Hockey League last season, Laxdal as coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings and Honka a slick, offensive-minded defenseman with the Swift Current Broncos.

Now they're on the same side as Laxdal, the coach of the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and Dallas Stars coach at the Traverse City Prospect Tournament, gets to enjoy having Honka on his team.

The second-round pick (No. 56) in the 2011 NHL Draft is working toward a longer stay this season. He spent the rest of the season in the American Hockey League, where he had 29 goals and 54 points in 69 games.

The Washington Capitals likely will have Jakub Vrana, their 2014 first-round pick (No. 13), spend at least one more season with his team in the Swedish Elite League, where he will play with and against more physically mature competition.

First, though, they'll see how he looks against those kind of players on NHL-size ice. That starts Tuesday when the Capitals rookies face a team of Philadelphia Flyers rookies. Vrana also likely see action in preseason games, which start for Washington on Sept. 21.

"We'll see how I look," Vrana told CSNWashington.com. "When I play those games I'll see what I need to improve on. I don't really know because I haven't tried. I will see when I'm with those guys on the ice and I play a game."

"It's just keeping working hard; as hard as you can," Gaudreau told NHL.com correspondent Aaron Vickers. "I talked to both [coach Bob Hartley and general manager Brad Treliving] in the summer time, making sure that everything I'm doing, three or four extra reps either in the weight room or on the ice, you have to make sure you're one of the better players out there for main camp."